A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ernest Owusu Bempah has questioned the credibility of North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa when it comes to the fight against corruption.
Owusu Bempah recounted the revelation that Martin Amidu who was the Attorney General at the time Mr Ablakwa was Deputy Information Minister during the Mills’ administration, that he was instructed by Mr Ablakwa through a telephone call to pay an amount of $1.3million to a petitioner in the Isofoton judgement debt matter even when the case was still in court.
Isofoton was the Spanish company that claimed that its contract with the state was wrongly abrogated.
Reacting to the anticorruption posture adopted by Mr Ablakwa lately and the attempt to reveal issues regarding President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo’s travels, Mr Owusu-Bempah questioned the motive of Mr Ablakwa in his actions.
He told journalists in Accra on Wednesday, January 18 that Okudzeto Ablakwa has a penchant for attacking the President’s credibility, so he also has to come out to explain how he conducted himself at the Information Ministry.
“Okudzeto Ablakwa has no credibility when it comes to fighting corruption. When he was the Deputy Minister of Information, the then Attorney General Martin said he called him instructing him to pay the Isofoton,” he said.
He added “Why did a whole Attorney General come out to say that you picked up a phone and called him that he should pay Isofoton? What locus did he have? What credibility has he got?
“All the judgement debts that came up, what does he know about them in terms of government lands? Government lands across the country, 2009 to 2012 when he was Deputy Minister, what does he know about Judgement debt payments? He should come out to answer those questions.”
Owusu Bempah further indicated that Mr Ablakwa embarked on several trips out of the shores of Ghana at a time the country was on red alert for drug trafficking and money laundering.
Without making any direct claim of drug trafficking against Mr Ablakwa, Owusu Bempah asked him to explain to Ghanaians what necessitated the number of trips he embarked on as Deputy Minister.
“Between 2009 to 2012 Ghana was classified as a red alert country in terms of money laundering that was the time Ablakwa was travelling like an Arabic Sheikh, travelling with a Chartered flight. June 19, 2009 he left Ghana with KLM to Amsterdam, business class and returned to Ghana on the 24th with a first-class flight, the same KLM. In October 21 2009, he flew out of Ghana on a chartered flight and returned 23rd October 2009.
“We are daring him to come out. He left this country on November 6, 2009, he jet out of this country business class and returned 24th November 2009. February 15th 2010 he chartered a special flight and returned to Ghana on 17th February. March 7th 2010 he flew from Ghana and he came back on 11th March 2010 with a special flight.
May 26th 2010 and he left Ghana with a special flight and arrived on June 1st 2010. As Deputy, how was he able to embark on these travels? On June 12th 2010, he left Ghana with a special privet jet to UK and arrived June 14th. July 18th 2010 and he arrived 28th June, he went to London on a chartered private jet from Lagos.
“I am giving him two weeks to come clean on these matters or we will strip him naked. If not for mischief or political expediency he should come clean.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
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